Pastor Doug Laird
Welcome to Biblical Answers To Man's Questions, aka as BATMQ.NET. This is an Internet-based, non-denominational Christian ministry whose mission it is to share the TRUE Gospel Message for salvation and to offer accurate Bible Doctrine for the development of post salvation discipleship.
I have been a believer in the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ for as long as I can remember, but like so many "Christians, I have not always placed God and/or the things of God at the top of my list of priorities on my DAILY "things to do" list.
Sure, I would "go to Church" once a week and read the Bible on a regular basis , and try within human limitations, to be a decent person. For me, I figured that was good enough, as any more was beyond my means and capability. Well, I had it half right. The TRUE post salvation spiritual life IS beyond anyone's human ability. The TRUE post (after) salvation spiritual life is not executed with human ability, but with the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit (John 15: 5).
A "religious" life can be experienced apart from God and apart from the things of God, but the TRUE post (after) salvation spiritual life can only be developed and executed with an edified soul structure (Matt. 7: 24-27) and the willingness to submit to the leadership of God the Holy Spirit. Only by doing so does one learn to do things HIS way (isa. 55: 8) and by HIS power (John 15: 5)!
I had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home and have had many (human) mentors as I progressed along in the post salvation spiritual life. I have certainly had my share of wrong turns and poor decisions, but all of them were a part of God's permissive will to bring me to where I presently am in my personal walk with Lord.
It has been my experience to discover that there are many diverse "neighborhoods" within what is generally referred to as the Christian Community. Much of the pageantry and overt activity that can be found WITHIN all of different "neighborhoods" of the Christian Community of our day amount to no more than the products of Man-made religion. Such thing are held in high esteem in the eyes of the "religious" crowd, but are "detestable (Luke 16:15 NAS)", "filthy garments (Isa. 64: 6 NASB), in the discerning eyes of God.
If the present-day "apostate (1 Timothy 4:1)" status of the Christian Community at large had not been
prophesied, it would be disheartening to know just how far it has drifted away from the mission (Matthew 28: 19, 20) that it was given to fulfill.
Without a doubt, if the Rapture (1Thess. 4: 15- 17) takes place during a worship service, there will be many people left behind in the pews and behind the pulpits within the various neighborhoods of the "Christian Community at large. Within each neighborhood, there is what 1Cor. 3: 16 describes as the true, intangible "Church", consisting of ALL the born again believers who are presently here on the Earth.
Religious people "go to Church", whereas spiritually edified souls know that THEY are the Church that gathers together for corporate worship.
I make this statement, NOT on the basis of any preconceived or prejudice notions, but on my personal experience and observations having spent some twenty years in each one of the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and non-denominational "neighborhoods" of the Christian Community at large.
In my personal walk with the Lord, I spent the first 20 years of my life in the Protestant " neighborhood". By that I mean that as far as my spiritual life was concerned, I connected with those who adhered largely to Protestant viewpoints of doctrine.
In my early twenties I made a Luke 14: 26 compromise and spent the next 26 years of my life in the Catholic "neighborhood". I never did concur with many of the "religious" teachings and rituals of Roman Catholicism, but attended services there in the interest of promoting FAMILY unity and worship, while remaining true to my own convictions in the privacy of my soul. I had not learned (yet) that God's plan of salvation offers only individual coverage and that there are no family coverage plans.
The unity of the "family" of God is based on sharing like-minded concepts that can be Biblically substantiated.
During those years, I became a self-taught student of the Bible and an avid reader of much "Christian" material. I did benefit from this private study and by the ministry of many pastor teachers and authors, but had not yet discovered God's means of spiritual edification. Gods way calls for submission to the teaching authority of a Biblically-qualified pastor-teacher. If we want God's outcome, we MUST do things His way.
There are no "family" plans for salvation or discipleship. God's plan of salvation offers only individual coverage.
Family members can share equal "religious" status and activity, but no two members of a marriage or family unit are likely to be at the same level of spiritual maturity at the same time. Accordingly, there are different spiritual needs that are consistent with where any one individual believer presently is in his/her walk with the Lord.
Most believers never enter into true post salvation discipleship, and the majority of the ones that do fall away when the heat of the inevitable spiritual battle gets too uncomfortable.
God may or may not use one's spouse or family member to present the true Gospel to another family member, but this would be the exception and not the rule (Matt.13: 57).
There is NO ONE to blame for the decisions we make in the spiritual realm other than the one we face in the mirror. We can try to blame others, our environment or our circumstances, but with God there are NO such valid excuses (Romans 1: 20). In the spiritual realm, we are what WE choose to be.
My familial compromise did not alter the integrity of my salvation, but it was not until 22 years later I "moved" to the Non-denominational "neighborhood" and based by spiritual life on the Bible alone.
I was no longer interested in what Man-made "religion" of ANY variety had to say, but began a quest to learn and to APPLY what God, through His Word, had to say. This brought me to the point that I was led by God the Holy Spirit into the TRUE world of Biblical discipleship. Even at that, I soon learned that the deeper one probes into such matters, the more differing answers are offered to same old questions, and that the Bible can be made to appear to say just about anything that a clever writer or speaker wants it to say.
True discipleship is the study and application of the Word of God to whatever we are doing and wherever we are doing it. Discipleship is what fulfills the internal half of the Great Commission. But like anything else of true value, it will be a continuous, never-ending, battle to discern truth from error. While the scope and accuracy of the doctrine that is taught or practiced varies from one denomination to another and from one ministry to another ministry another, there is not ONE yet who has had all the right answers!
This is what the warnings of Luke 8: 18 and 2Cor. 11: 14 are all about. Most false prophets (those who presume to speak for God) of the Church Age do not knowingly mislead others, but do so only having first been received themselves and are unwittingly being used by the devil . Never-the-less, a bullet fired in ignorance can be just as lethal as one that is fired with malicious intent.
No matter where or by what means one chooses to be spiritually edified, there is still the need to be able to discern truth from error. If one is to grow in God's grace and knowledge (2Peter 3: 18), he must also be careful not to throw the baby (beneficial information) out with the bath-water (false doctrine/practices) that one IS going to encounter in ANY denomination, local assembly, or ministry. The promotion of false doctrine and practice WITHIN the Christian Community has been a part of the devil's plan from the earliest years of the Church Age (Galatians 3), will not reach its peak until the End Times of the Church Age (1Timothy 4:1).
It is relatively easy to go through the motions of ANY religion, be relatively (James 2: 10) moral, and engage in secular labor, domestic functions, or humanitarian acts, and convince oneself that he/she is accomplishing the will of God. Non-Christians and even atheists can choose to live relatively "moral" lifestyles, have intact and strong family bonds, and engage is the very same secular labor and humanitarian projects as do believers, but will still find themselves in what the Bible calls the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 13, 15) for never having been born again (John 3:3/Titus 3:5).
The devil knows that it is only divine good glorifies God and promotes anything that makes his world (Luke 4:6) a "better" place to live. The devil enjoys nothing more than for his world to receive all the temporal benefits of the human good produced, while denying God the glory by deceiving His people into believing that the production of human good equates with the production of divine good.
True spirituality, on the other hand, results in ever-increasing persecution in proportion to whatever advances the disciple achieves.
I appreciate it when Scripture reveals the human side of its heroes which is quite different from the "Sunday School" image that many of us have been spoon fed concerning many of the great men and women of the Bible. We all know, for example, of the David who slew the giant Goliath, but not all of us here to much about David the adulterer or the David who conspired to murder the husband of the married woman he impregnated!
There were/are teachings/practices in both the "Protestant" and the "Catholic" neighborhoods that I found to be inconsistent with Scripture. Having had my fill of both and not finding neither one to fully satisfy my spiritual appetite, I began a life long quest for the truth, and found that truth when I learned to separate what was spiritual from what was/is religious, and built my soul structure (Matt 7: 24-27) on what (and only what) could substantiated in Scripture. This area of spiritual combat will never end this side of Heaven.
Two of the benefits that an advancing disciple will experience is the John 8: 32 freedom from "religious" bondage, and the courage to refer all critics to Romans 14: 4. Making the divine use and purpose of Scripture (2Timothy 3: 16) is the ONLY way to sift through all the confusion that Satan and the Ephesians 6: 12 forces of evil (2Cor. 14: have raised in the name of "religion". These benefits, as in all aspects of discipleship, come with a hefty price tag.
What I didn't know during these earlier stages of my spiritual life, but have come to realize now, is that God has used my divers exposure to the various divisions with the Christian Community to enable me to relate to others who adhere to these different perspectives and practices that have evolved.
We ALL come into this world spiritually dead and in need of the Titus 3: 5 regeneration that is the Work of God that takes place at salvation. There is not one person who possesses a single point of doctrine that did not have to first learn it from someone else.
There is an old saying that speaks of walking a mile in another's shoes before passing judgment. While I am not saying that this round-about route is best for everyone, having spent decades in each one of these neighborhoods has allowed me to walk in the shoes of many others who hold different views than I do and has greatly contributed to my ability to minister to them as I progress as an individual believer and in the capacity of a pastor-teacher.
I have been a believer in the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ for as long as I can remember, but like so many "Christians, I have not always placed God and/or the things of God at the top of my list of priorities on my DAILY "things to do" list.
Sure, I would "go to Church" once a week and read the Bible on a regular basis , and try within human limitations, to be a decent person. For me, I figured that was good enough, as any more was beyond my means and capability. Well, I had it half right. The TRUE post salvation spiritual life IS beyond anyone's human ability. The TRUE post (after) salvation spiritual life is not executed with human ability, but with the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit (John 15: 5).
A "religious" life can be experienced apart from God and apart from the things of God, but the TRUE post (after) salvation spiritual life can only be developed and executed with an edified soul structure (Matt. 7: 24-27) and the willingness to submit to the leadership of God the Holy Spirit. Only by doing so does one learn to do things HIS way (isa. 55: 8) and by HIS power (John 15: 5)!
I had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home and have had many (human) mentors as I progressed along in the post salvation spiritual life. I have certainly had my share of wrong turns and poor decisions, but all of them were a part of God's permissive will to bring me to where I presently am in my personal walk with Lord.
It has been my experience to discover that there are many diverse "neighborhoods" within what is generally referred to as the Christian Community. Much of the pageantry and overt activity that can be found WITHIN all of different "neighborhoods" of the Christian Community of our day amount to no more than the products of Man-made religion. Such thing are held in high esteem in the eyes of the "religious" crowd, but are "detestable (Luke 16:15 NAS)", "filthy garments (Isa. 64: 6 NASB), in the discerning eyes of God.
If the present-day "apostate (1 Timothy 4:1)" status of the Christian Community at large had not been
prophesied, it would be disheartening to know just how far it has drifted away from the mission (Matthew 28: 19, 20) that it was given to fulfill.
Without a doubt, if the Rapture (1Thess. 4: 15- 17) takes place during a worship service, there will be many people left behind in the pews and behind the pulpits within the various neighborhoods of the "Christian Community at large. Within each neighborhood, there is what 1Cor. 3: 16 describes as the true, intangible "Church", consisting of ALL the born again believers who are presently here on the Earth.
Religious people "go to Church", whereas spiritually edified souls know that THEY are the Church that gathers together for corporate worship.
I make this statement, NOT on the basis of any preconceived or prejudice notions, but on my personal experience and observations having spent some twenty years in each one of the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and non-denominational "neighborhoods" of the Christian Community at large.
In my personal walk with the Lord, I spent the first 20 years of my life in the Protestant " neighborhood". By that I mean that as far as my spiritual life was concerned, I connected with those who adhered largely to Protestant viewpoints of doctrine.
In my early twenties I made a Luke 14: 26 compromise and spent the next 26 years of my life in the Catholic "neighborhood". I never did concur with many of the "religious" teachings and rituals of Roman Catholicism, but attended services there in the interest of promoting FAMILY unity and worship, while remaining true to my own convictions in the privacy of my soul. I had not learned (yet) that God's plan of salvation offers only individual coverage and that there are no family coverage plans.
The unity of the "family" of God is based on sharing like-minded concepts that can be Biblically substantiated.
During those years, I became a self-taught student of the Bible and an avid reader of much "Christian" material. I did benefit from this private study and by the ministry of many pastor teachers and authors, but had not yet discovered God's means of spiritual edification. Gods way calls for submission to the teaching authority of a Biblically-qualified pastor-teacher. If we want God's outcome, we MUST do things His way.
There are no "family" plans for salvation or discipleship. God's plan of salvation offers only individual coverage.
Family members can share equal "religious" status and activity, but no two members of a marriage or family unit are likely to be at the same level of spiritual maturity at the same time. Accordingly, there are different spiritual needs that are consistent with where any one individual believer presently is in his/her walk with the Lord.
Most believers never enter into true post salvation discipleship, and the majority of the ones that do fall away when the heat of the inevitable spiritual battle gets too uncomfortable.
God may or may not use one's spouse or family member to present the true Gospel to another family member, but this would be the exception and not the rule (Matt.13: 57).
There is NO ONE to blame for the decisions we make in the spiritual realm other than the one we face in the mirror. We can try to blame others, our environment or our circumstances, but with God there are NO such valid excuses (Romans 1: 20). In the spiritual realm, we are what WE choose to be.
My familial compromise did not alter the integrity of my salvation, but it was not until 22 years later I "moved" to the Non-denominational "neighborhood" and based by spiritual life on the Bible alone.
I was no longer interested in what Man-made "religion" of ANY variety had to say, but began a quest to learn and to APPLY what God, through His Word, had to say. This brought me to the point that I was led by God the Holy Spirit into the TRUE world of Biblical discipleship. Even at that, I soon learned that the deeper one probes into such matters, the more differing answers are offered to same old questions, and that the Bible can be made to appear to say just about anything that a clever writer or speaker wants it to say.
True discipleship is the study and application of the Word of God to whatever we are doing and wherever we are doing it. Discipleship is what fulfills the internal half of the Great Commission. But like anything else of true value, it will be a continuous, never-ending, battle to discern truth from error. While the scope and accuracy of the doctrine that is taught or practiced varies from one denomination to another and from one ministry to another ministry another, there is not ONE yet who has had all the right answers!
This is what the warnings of Luke 8: 18 and 2Cor. 11: 14 are all about. Most false prophets (those who presume to speak for God) of the Church Age do not knowingly mislead others, but do so only having first been received themselves and are unwittingly being used by the devil . Never-the-less, a bullet fired in ignorance can be just as lethal as one that is fired with malicious intent.
No matter where or by what means one chooses to be spiritually edified, there is still the need to be able to discern truth from error. If one is to grow in God's grace and knowledge (2Peter 3: 18), he must also be careful not to throw the baby (beneficial information) out with the bath-water (false doctrine/practices) that one IS going to encounter in ANY denomination, local assembly, or ministry. The promotion of false doctrine and practice WITHIN the Christian Community has been a part of the devil's plan from the earliest years of the Church Age (Galatians 3), will not reach its peak until the End Times of the Church Age (1Timothy 4:1).
It is relatively easy to go through the motions of ANY religion, be relatively (James 2: 10) moral, and engage in secular labor, domestic functions, or humanitarian acts, and convince oneself that he/she is accomplishing the will of God. Non-Christians and even atheists can choose to live relatively "moral" lifestyles, have intact and strong family bonds, and engage is the very same secular labor and humanitarian projects as do believers, but will still find themselves in what the Bible calls the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 13, 15) for never having been born again (John 3:3/Titus 3:5).
The devil knows that it is only divine good glorifies God and promotes anything that makes his world (Luke 4:6) a "better" place to live. The devil enjoys nothing more than for his world to receive all the temporal benefits of the human good produced, while denying God the glory by deceiving His people into believing that the production of human good equates with the production of divine good.
True spirituality, on the other hand, results in ever-increasing persecution in proportion to whatever advances the disciple achieves.
I appreciate it when Scripture reveals the human side of its heroes which is quite different from the "Sunday School" image that many of us have been spoon fed concerning many of the great men and women of the Bible. We all know, for example, of the David who slew the giant Goliath, but not all of us here to much about David the adulterer or the David who conspired to murder the husband of the married woman he impregnated!
There were/are teachings/practices in both the "Protestant" and the "Catholic" neighborhoods that I found to be inconsistent with Scripture. Having had my fill of both and not finding neither one to fully satisfy my spiritual appetite, I began a life long quest for the truth, and found that truth when I learned to separate what was spiritual from what was/is religious, and built my soul structure (Matt 7: 24-27) on what (and only what) could substantiated in Scripture. This area of spiritual combat will never end this side of Heaven.
Two of the benefits that an advancing disciple will experience is the John 8: 32 freedom from "religious" bondage, and the courage to refer all critics to Romans 14: 4. Making the divine use and purpose of Scripture (2Timothy 3: 16) is the ONLY way to sift through all the confusion that Satan and the Ephesians 6: 12 forces of evil (2Cor. 14: have raised in the name of "religion". These benefits, as in all aspects of discipleship, come with a hefty price tag.
What I didn't know during these earlier stages of my spiritual life, but have come to realize now, is that God has used my divers exposure to the various divisions with the Christian Community to enable me to relate to others who adhere to these different perspectives and practices that have evolved.
We ALL come into this world spiritually dead and in need of the Titus 3: 5 regeneration that is the Work of God that takes place at salvation. There is not one person who possesses a single point of doctrine that did not have to first learn it from someone else.
There is an old saying that speaks of walking a mile in another's shoes before passing judgment. While I am not saying that this round-about route is best for everyone, having spent decades in each one of these neighborhoods has allowed me to walk in the shoes of many others who hold different views than I do and has greatly contributed to my ability to minister to them as I progress as an individual believer and in the capacity of a pastor-teacher.
